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Not sure of your question. I move the single story colonies up onto the production colony after all flight is done for the year. That's usually in November here...not sure about VA. Is that what you asked?

Yeah, I got it now, I just had misread your last line in your original post and though you meant that you moved the inner cover up later for some reason. So you wait until they stop flying and then put the deep containing the 2 nucs on top of the production hive.

So far so good for us here in No VA and overwintering nucs- keeping them balanced so that they do not overgrow. Now in total nectar dearth and dry as a bone so we may have to start feeding slowly.

I've never used sbb or double screens between the bottom hive and the nucs. My gut feeling is that there would be a lot of moisture rising from the bottom hive. Maybe you should try it, and let us know.

Some of us are trying using the double screens over the winter and will report back.

>Some of us are trying using the double screens over the winter and will report back.
Don't know about Virginia, but it didn't go well in Nebraska.

Yeah, we might be getting talked out of this idea...due to concerns raised on this forum about condensation.... but remember these are double nucs and they will be above a parent hive... and our winters are significantly more mild than NE or VT (but who knows what 09 will bring? they used to be much worse)

Do you think closing up the SBB with those white mite testing boards will be similar effect as if we had a all wood bottom board?

I am glad that I have been keeping up with this thread. I have several singles that I was considering putting over a production hive to help keep them past Winter. The condensation issue had me concerned. Last Winter, was not that bad but who knows what this year will offer. With all of the exeriance, on this site, do you guys feel that it would be better to combind these or roll the dice and let the chips fall where they may? Keep them alive and split in the Spring? I have worked hard to get my hive count up and I don't want to loose any of them.
Marc

life is like a box of chocolates,you never know what you are gonna get

Several of us had very good results limping small colonies through winter using the MountainCamp Method. The idea of a double screen still has merit, and the two could be incorporated to form a very effective support strategy.